The Taipei High Administrative Court yesterday ruled in favor of residents of Shezidao (社子島) in Taipei’s Shilin District (士林), saying that the environmental impact assessment (EIA) results for the development of the peninsula should be revoked.
Shezidao, an alluvial plain at the confluence of the Tamsui (淡水河) and Keelung (基隆河) rivers, has become a center of debate since the Taipei City Government on Jan. 19, 2022, approved the EIA report on the peninsula’s development project.
The Shezidao Self-help Association filed an administrative lawsuit against the city government the same year, arguing that the EIA results were passed despite significant flaws in the assessment approach.
Photo courtesy of the Shezidao Self-help Association
FLAWED ASSESSMENT
The court in the ruling said that the assessment results were illegal for three reasons.
First, the wastewater treatment plant to be built in Shezidao was not included in the EIA, the ruling said.
The plant would be used to treat not only the project’s construction sewage, but also household sewage after the project’s residential buildings are built, it said.
As household sewage is projected to reach 35,000 tonnes per day and would be discharged into the project’s central river channel after treatment, the plant is crucial to the project’s flood control plan and should be included in the assessment, the ruling said.
Second, the assessment failed to evaluate embankment facilities, which would aid the central river channel in drainage and flood control, it said.
Third, it failed to submit a wetland impact report as required by Article 27 of the Wetland Conservation Act (濕地保育法), the ruling said.
Given that the evaluation of embankment facilities was excluded from the assessment, the Ministry of the Interior, the central wetland authority, was misled into concluding that the project would not involve national wetlands around the Tamsui River and did not require the city government to conduct a wetland impact assessment, it said.
Association spokeswoman Li Hua-ping (李華萍) yesterday told a news conference that local residents do not oppose the development of Shezidao.
However, they oppose the city government’s “zone expropriation” plan, in which their residences would be destroyed and they would be forced to leave, she said, calling on Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) to suspend the project.
Association attorney Kuo Hung-yi (郭鴻儀) said the city government should listen to local residents’ opinions and shift to a bottom-up approach in planning Shezidao’s development and preserve the cultural heritage of local communities.
The city government has budgeted up to NT$130 billion (US$4 billion) for Shezidao’s development, he said, calling on the city government not to use such a huge amount of money to expel the peninsula’s residents to benefit particular groups.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
Tropical Storm Podul has formed over waters north-northeast of Guam and is expected to approach the seas southeast of Taiwan next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. The 11th Pacific storm of the year developed at 2am over waters about 2,660km east of Oluanpi (歐鑾鼻), Pingtung County — Taiwan's southernmost tip. It is projected to move westward and could have its most significant impact on Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday next week, the CWA said. The agency did not rule out the possibility of issuing a sea warning at that time. According to the CWA's latest update, Podul is drifting west-northwest
RSS